Silo.



J.'-B RINK.- -SILO- APPLICATION FILED maize, 1931;

Patented Jan. 7,-1913.-

Q iBfz'nk,

JOHN BRINK, 0F HAMILTDN, MICHIGAN.

SILO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. *2, 1913.

Application filed. December 26, 1911. Serial No. 658,011.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN BRINK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hamilton, in the county of Allegan and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Silos, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in silos, and its objects are, first, to provide a means whereby a sufiicient amount off-odder may be placed into a silo at the first filling so that it will not be necessary to refill the silo after ensilage has fully matured, or in other words, after the fodder has become fully compressed in the silo. Second, to provide a means whereby ensilage may be filled into the silo above the body thereof without coming in contact with, or pressing heavily upon the surface of the roof sections. Third. to'provide a means for holding the I'C'Oi sections in vertical posi ion without the necessity of using a central standard and 'pivotally mounted races therefrom to the roof sections. Fourth, to so construct the surplusreceptacle and the roof sections that here will beno possible danger of closing the rec by throwing the ensilage, pivotal supporting braces and forcing them downward when filling a silo, and, fifth, to avert the necessity of covering the inside surfaces of the roof sections, and the spaces between them, witha flexible, easily destructible lining to pre ent the es cape of ensilage between the said sections when open. I attain these objects by the construction shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of a silo with the auxiliary storage extension in place. Fig. 2 is the same with the cover or roof of the silo closed. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of Fig. 1 on the line a: to of Fig. 1-; Fig. l is a perspective of the extension detached from the silo, and Fig. his a. sectional end View of two sections from the roof, on the line 1 of 2 showing a metal batten over the cracks between the several slaves that make up the roof of the silo.

Similar letters refer to throughout the several views. A represents the body of an ordinary elesimilar parts .vated silo such as'is in common use by farmers for sharing ensilage.

My invention consists of providing an auxiliary storage room, as B, which I make up of several stoves or sections, 1') b, so that it may be readily-assembled and placed in position on top of the silo proper, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. .It is a Well known fact, and one that causes great additional trouble and expense to farmers, that in the silos in the ordinary form, the en'silage packs and.

shrinks until several feet at the top of the silo is left vacant and must be refilled after all appliances for filling have been removed, and to farmers who have to hire regular silo fillers to do the work for them the-expense is sometimes very oppressive, besides, fresh fodder placed in the silo after the originalensilage has become fermented is notlikely to cure as perfectly 'as if placed in the silo in the first instance and renders the first feedingfrom the silo much less nutritive than that placed in the silo at an. earlier date, hence the great advantage of filling the silo sufliciently in the first instance to provide for all shrinkage during the process of fermentation. With my auxiliary storage chamber, ample room is provided in which to store suilioient fodder to fill the silo proper, full to the top when the ensilage has become fully packed.

After the ensilage has packed, the auxiliary storage chamber, B,-

is removed and the roof of the silo, C, is

closed so that no rain, snow or moisture of any kind can pass through to the ensilage, and for this purpose I form the roof in several sections or staves and hinge each one to the top of the silo, as at a. a in Fig. 3, so that the staves may be opened or closed for placing the auxiliary storage chamber, in. position or for closing the roof when this chamber has been removed. I find it necessary, also, to make some provision to hold the staves that-form the roof in their vertical position in such a manner as not to endanger breaking or straining the hinges (La, and for this purpose I place a supporting hoop D above the silo and support it by uncans of standards (Z that are in turn, permanently fastened to the wallet the silo. I place battens, as 0 inl ig. 2, and c in Fig. 5, over the cracks between the staves of sections of the roof to avert any possible danger of water leaking through onto the ensilage after the roof has been closed. I make these bat-tens or cleats broad enough to projectfront one stave or section of the roof well over the adjacent edge of the adjoining stave or section, as shown in Fig. 5,

fully settled or so that one stave cannot be closed-or opened Without closing or opening all of the staves or sections in the roof, thus averting the danger of the roof sections becomingunmanageable when removing the extension B or when opening and closing the roof sections.

7 While there is small danger of the roof being opened by the force of the Wind,

' after it has beenproperly closed, I find it advisableto place a heavy cap over the upper ends of the staves, or the peak of the roof, as indicated at C in Fig. 2, preferably made of cast iron.- l/Vhile this Weight or cap is not necessary to the perfect Working of the silo, I find .it very desirable for the reason that, it holds the roof against any possibility of becoming displaced, and further averts the danger of any moisture passing through at the peak of the roof.

lVhat I claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In combination with a silo and triangular sections hinged to the top of the silo to form a conical roof that'may be opened and closed; wide battens secured to one edge of each'section and extending Well over the adjacent edge of the next adjoining section, anauxiliary storage section to the l silo adapted to be placed above the, silo proper Within the Walls'formed by the open .7

roof sections to support the roof sections in vertical position and receive the surplus ensilage Without allowing it to come in direct contact with the surface of the roof sections.

it to come in direct contact with the surfaces of the roof sections, and a hoop supported above the silo to hold the triangular sections in. vertical auxiliary extension.

Signed at Grand Rapids, Michlgan, De-

cember 22, 1911.

JOHN BRINK.

position around the /In presence of I. J1 CILLEY, F. L. STEWART.

Jingles of} this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents,

' l Washington, D. 0. 

